A bill that would ban abortion in Kentucky once a baby's heartbeat is detected was passed by state senators Thursday.

Kentucky’s fetal heartbeat bill comes in the wake of similar measures passed by Mississippi lawmakers in both the House and Senate Wednesday that could ban abortion as early as six weeks, a time when a baby's heartbeat can first be detected.

Kentucky - Senate - Senate - Bill - Support

The Kentucky Senate voted 31-6 to pass Senate Bill 9, which has the support of the state’s evangelical Christian Gov. Matt Bevin as well as the GOP controlled House.

A Republican who supports the bill told The Associated Press that it has an emergency clause, which means it would take effect once it has been approved by the Senate, House and Bevin.

State - Commonwealth - Address - Week - Bevin

During his annual State of the Commonwealth address a week ago, Bevin urged the legislature to continue to pass anti-abortion legislation, insisting they would prevail.

"At the end of the day we will prevail because we stand on the side of right and we stand on the side of life," Bevin said.

Testimony - Supporters - Decision - Thursday - WAVE

Emotional testimony from pro-life and pro-abortion supporters was heard before the decision Thursday, according WAVE 3. Supporters of the bill argued that legislators had a moral duty to pass it while others saw it as an overreach of government.

“SB 9 is intended to ban almost all abortion in the Commonwealth with no exemptions for rape, no exemptions for incest or fetal anomaly,” Tamara Wieder, a Kentucky Planned Parenthood representative, noted in the report.

Abby - Johnson - Supporter - Bill - Parenthood

Abby Johnson, a supporter of the bill who used to operate a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas, argued that “It is unjust to take the life of a human being.”

Democratic Attorney General Andy Beshear argued — after hearing Bevin’s speech a week ago — that he has already informed state legislators that the fetal heartbeat bill is unconstitutional...